S/Sgt. Elmer Curtis Hardy
Born: 9 January 1923 – Melrose Park, Illinois
Parents: Harry J. Hardy & Antonie Adamik-Hardy
Siblings: 2 brothers
Hometown:
– 1542 North Thirty-Sixth Avenue – Melrose Park, Illinois
Education:
– Grant Grade School
– Proviso Township High School
– Class of 1941
Occupation: worked as a mechanic at Evans Brothers machine shop – Chicago, Illinois
Selective Service Registration: 29 June 1942
Contact Person: Harry J. Hardy – father
Enlisted:
– 8 September 1942
– U.S. Army Air Corps
Serial Number: 16081869
Training:
– Shepherd Field, Texas
– basic training
– graduated: 1 December 1942
– Keisler Field, Mississippi
– graduated: 20 March 1943
– mechanic
– Laredo Field, Texas
– Gunnery School
– Graduated: 18 June 1943
– nose gunner
– Pueblo, Colorado
– combat training
– left United States – 15 January 1944
Unit: 578th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
Plane: B24 Liberator – #185- assigned to the crew of 1st Lt. Russell Paules
Engagements:
– 27 missions over Europe as member of B24 Bomber crew
Killed in Action:
– 23 June 1944 – bombing mission over Leon, France
– the plane hit by flak – went down in a turning dive. Two engines knocked out.
– the plane burst into flames before hitting ground at 7:54 pm – 5 kilometers
south/southeast of Leon.
– According to the official German version, Elmer was recovered from plane
dead – buried at Liesse Municipal Cemetery in grave 43 on June 25th.
– According to one crew member, he saw Elmer’s body wrapped in his
parachute at German Headquarters, it appeared there were bullet holes in
the left side of his head.
Buried:
– 10 November 1948 – Woodlawn Cemetery – Forest Park, Illinois
Medals:
– Air Medal – awarded by Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle
– 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
– Purple Heart
